All day yesterday and into the night, members of the police SWAT unit and homicide detectives canvassed the West Oak Lane neighborhood for potential witnesses in the shooting of Cassidy, who was gunned down Wednesday morning as he walked in on a robbery inside the Dunkin' Donuts at 6620 N. Broad St.
As helicopters hovered overhead, investigators searched storm drains, rooftops and alleys for evidence the killer may have discarded. Police said they searched at least one house and recovered fingerprints.
Police questioned scores of people who matched the assailant's description - a heavy-set black man, with a distinctive gait and a spider tattooed on his left hand. The aggressive police activity stirred murmurings of discontent in a neighborhood where more common slayings receive scant attention by comparison.
Police sent a surveillance video of the killing to the FBI Academy in Quantico, Va., for enhancement. They hope an artist can develop a sketch of the suspect from the video.
Officer Cassidy, 54, a married father of three, died at 9:40 a.m. yesterday at Albert Einstein Medical Center. Hundreds of officers lined up at his bedside to pay respects.
Detectives said yesterday that Cassidy, a respected 25-year veteran, walked into the doughnut shop after a witness told him "something" was happening inside. The gunman, alerted to the officer by a bell on the shop's door, turned to see Cassidy with his gun drawn. The killer took two steps toward Cassidy before firing one shot into his head from about five feet away.
Investigators questioned dozens of men they found on the street or in police databases whose descriptions matched the killer's. Those who had a tattoo of a spider on their left hand similar to the suspect's were likely to receive a visit from a team of investigators.
